The Good Old Days
by takari-critic2001
Summary: First Ani fic: Tobias is at his meadow when a couple sets up camp, causing him to rember what it was like with Rachel still alive...


Hey. I know I'm really not an Animorph writer, but I 'accidentally' read through books 18 till the end over vacation. So, here's my first Animorph fic. ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Animorphs. Mrs. Applegate and Scholastic Books do.

The Good Old Days

By takari-critic2001

My name is Tobias. And there is only one thing I have learned in life that remains the same. Life always sucks. I guess that's why I try so hard to escape from it. Here I am, perched in a tree in a meadow in the middle of nowhere, just trying to live for the rest of the day. I'm starving, and my meadow hasn't been getting many visitors lately. But that _one mouse_! Seven times. Seven times I swooped, seven times he just escaped my talons. Ah, there he is now. Eight times a charm.

Silently this time, I swoop from downwind, and the sun in my face, so he could not see, hear, nor smell me. My talons shoot forward and grasp- nothing. That infernal rodent did it again! I float in humiliation back to my perch. Even in a simple setting such as this, the mistress of life stalks me.

As I mentally kicked myself, I heard a snap off in the distance, and weak voices following it. I ignored the murderous hunger and went to investigate. I flapped my way over to the approaching campers. They are really going out of their way to get here. They decided that my river would be a good place to rest, so they started setting up camp.

Just two campers, a blond girl and some fairly buff guy. However, I was impressed on how effectively they set up. They've obviously have done this before. After they set up their tent, the guy wrapped his arms around the girl's waist, and they gently kissed. I should've left them, but somehow I couldn't get my eyes of off them. I guess it was another kick in the gnads from life saying: " Hey, remember this? Remember how good it felt? And remember how it's all gone and will never come back?" Yeah. Well, life, congratulations. I do remember…

********

" Come _on _Tobias! The movies starting!" Rachel urged as she grabbed my human hand and tugged.

" Oh, no. Wouldn't want to miss the chick flick." I said sarcastically. Rachel playfully hit me on the shoulder.

" It's not a chick flick. It's a really good comedy-slash-romance"

" Yeah, chick flick."

" Oh, just get in the theater, birdman." Rachel sighed, and we entered the movie. To my surprise, it was actually pretty good. The downside was I had to demorph and remorph in the bathroom afterwards. I almost didn't complete in time because some dude really needed to use the stall. But it was worth it.

" How 'bout you order. I don't know what to get."

" Fine, how does a double cheeseburger sound?" Rachel asked.

" Whatever you say." I smirked. Rachel ordered our dinners, and we retreated to a corner booth. Immediately, she dug into her burger like an animal. The irony. The bird having better manners than the human. Still, with her atrocious eating habits, she still was beautiful.

******

Yeah, life still sucks. All I have left of that beauty is memories. And I'm still hungry. Fortunately a squirrel is passing by, and he doesn't seem to smart. At least I don't have to humiliate myself with carrion again…

******

" Tobias, you are so stubborn!" Rachel yelled. " Why can't you let us help you?" She just saw me eating a slab of skunk, after hunger desperation from the recent drought kicked in my first meadow.

Oh, yeah. That should go over well. " Hey guys? I know I'm supposed to prevent the Yeerks from invading? But I really need help getting food first." I said.

" Listen, we've been over this-"

Yes, and the answer is still no. As long as the fight is here, I need to stay in that fight.

" No you don't! Look Tobias, you've been in this fight for much longer than you needed to be. You have every right to just remain human! To have a real life!"

And then what? Sit around while you and the others go into battle again, and again? Sit and wait wondering whether or not you're coming back? I can't bear to not be apart of the war. It's my life, now.

" But-

But nothing! Rachel, I know that you don't want me to suffer. But suffering goes along with my life. Your just going to have to accept that! I screamed and flew off. But I couldn't get far enough away to not hear Rachel silent sobs.

I caught a lucky break upon returning to my meadow. A shrew wasn't paying attention. I sat on my perch and tried not thinking about Rachel. It didn't work. I claimed defeat and glided over to her house. She was on her bed, looking at a picture frame. With the glare, I couldn't see what was in it. I fluttered through her open window and landed on her desk.

Listen… Rachel…

" Two years." She whispered.

What?

" It's been two years since that trip down to the Yeerk pool. Two years since you've been trapped as a hawk." She said silently. I morphed to my human self and sat next to her on her bed. I looked at the picture. It was her and me, taken at the mall one day. I put my arm around her shoulder.

" Has it really been two whole years?" I wondered. Rachel nodded and rested her head on my shoulder. " Time flies." Rachel let the picture drop to the ground and wrapped her arms around me.

" Look, Tobias, I know that I give you a harder time than you need about being human, it's just… I just don't know how you can keep living like this."

" Honestly, neither can I."

" Than why don't you…"

" Rachel…"

" I know. I'm doing again, aren't I?" For a while neither of us could say anything.

" You know Rach, this war has to end sometime. When we win…"

" What if we lose? What if I lose you?" She wondered. The last part was a whisper. She looked up at me, eyes watery. We leaned together, and or lips touched. The kiss lasted a couple of minutes, but it felt like a few hours.

" You'll never lose me, Rachel. I'll always be there for you…"

******

Yeah. I'll always be there for you. Like I was there when that morphed controller took you away from me. I wonder how far that camper will go to be there for his companion. He'd probably do a lot better job than I did for Rachel. Maybe. I keep telling myself that it's in the past, to get over it. But it's easier said than done. And I miss her. I really miss her…

End

Well, there it is. My first Ani fic. As expected, I have my version of what occurred after the series ended coming up soon. Tell me how I did, and if you would like or dislike yet another #55 story up. Well, here's the critic, signing off.


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